Heathens And Heretics, An Informational Paper

[CasualGhost 184]

 

From the desk of the High Patriarch, a pamphlet passes around the Human lands and the Imperial city of Petrus. They are handed out by various traveling monks, acolytes, and printed neatly in vast quantities at the Abbey of Veracruz. The pamphlet reads as follows:

 

DENIAL OF THE LIGHT

 

A paper to inform and educate about Heathens, Heretics, and their distinctions

 

Penned by His Holiness, High Patriarch Thomas Primus, on the 12th of the Sun's Smile, in the year of our Lord 1469.

 

Section I: The Heathen

 

There are many Heathens that stalk the lands and roads of Athera. Many of them are harmless and should not be taken into account. Others are dangerous. We find it odd that the words Heathen and Heretic are so often blurred. It is a common misconception that we will rectify today. Heathens are those beings who were unfortunate enough to be born into an inferior and false faith. They are not to blame for their accursed state, for they did not choose it. We believe they have merely not found the True Faith yet, and the Creator. 

There are two types of Heathens. Godless Heathens, and Pagans. This delves into the very nature of our faith. Truly, we recognize the Aenguls and Daemons as the holy messengers of the word of the Creator, but they are not to be worshipped. Only revered. Aeriel was known to pay homage to the Creator. We therefore worship one God, who is all knowing, all seeing, and everlasting. This differs from Heathens. Godless Heathens are those that absurdly worship no god at all. Though there are vast quantities of proof from the conflicts with the Undead, even with Aenguls and Daemons on both sides testifying to the existence of the Creator (including the Wandering Wizard), they refuse to acknowledge even the possibility of a divine being that created all. Notable examples of Godless Heathens are the High Elves, and the occasional Wood Elf. This is not a common variety of Heathen.

The far more common variety are Pagans. Pagans have a more reasonable perspective, in our opinion. They acknowledge that there are Divine powers at work. But Pagans seem to have gotten the number wrong. Pagans believe and worship many gods, instead of our Divine Creator. These gods are often false, with not even a smidgen of proof as to their existence. For example: the Adunian gods, or the gods of Clan Orvar. The Hansetian 'Celestia' is another notable instance. However, more often Pagans will worship beings mistakenly identified as gods. Druids and Shamans worship Aspects and Spirits, respectively. But these are no gods, they can be tricked and are imperfect. Still others worship the servants of the Creator, such as the Clerics of Tahariae. Pagans may be more reasonable when it comes to worship than Godless Heathens, but they are far more dangerous, as they will kill for their false beliefs.

So the question is: how does one deal with a Heathen of any variety? The answer is to be pleasant to them, show them your good faith. Prove through your actions that the True Faith is indeed the greatest. If the Heathen seems amiable enough, attempt to convert them. However if they show aggression when talking about the True Faith, drop the subject. These poor souls have been blinded to the Divinity of the Holy Light. If a Heathen turns violent, they are to be eliminated. If Heathens attacked the church, certainly a Crusade would be called. So, in conclusion, convert the kindly heathen, avoid the aggressive one, and if aggression persists, destroy them. However it is written that Heathens too, if heroic enough, may ascend to the Second Sky.

 

Section II: The Heretic

 

Heretics are far more dangerous than any Heathen. Often they are evil, ill tempered, and violent. The only method available is execution, for they have committed a conscious crime against the Creator. A Heretic, unlike the Heathen, was born into the True Faith, and turned his face from the Creator's Divine Grace. He either converted to one of the Pagan faiths, or gave up belief in our Creator. Though, this is not the only type of Heretic.

The second type is one who still claims to follow the True Faith, but in fact follows improper teachings. These include insisting that the Emperor is Divine. This is false, for while the Emperor is the leader of the Church, it is written by Basil of Sabris and Simon of Kavaz that no man can be Divine. This form of Traditionalism finally came to be called heresy during the Reformist movement. 

So how to deal with the Heretic? Well, do not go off recklessly! No common layman has the authority to judge whether a soul is pure or tainted with heresy. Any suspected heretic must be brought to a member of the clergy for him to judge. If the suspected passes all tests, then he or she is not a heretic and must be set free. If the suspected is convicted by the priest of heresy, then they must be assuredly burned alive at the stake. Note that this is in fact, an act of kindness, not cruelty. The purifying flames will burn away their sin, giving them up to the Creator for Him to judge in His court. Depending on their remorse for turning their back on Him, He will either welcome them with merciful love or condemn them for rejecting His grace. Furthermore, if the Heretic is falsely convicted, the Creator or one of His servants will certainly save the accused from the fiery blaze. 

And so, in conclusion, Heretics are dangerous creatures, who unlike the Heathen, cannot be shown mercy. We hope that this pamphlet has helped to clear away any confusion surrounding the two terms and their uses. 

 

Deus Magnus, Godani jest wielki, and may the Creator shine his Holy Light upon you.

[dank 413]

"Godani jiest wielk."

((Nice read.))

[Eddywilson2 2117]

"Norrheim is Orenian and believes in the True Faith..."

[CasualGhost 184]

"Norrheim is Orenian and believes in the True Faith..."

 

Thomas overhears the comment. "Truly? My greatest apologies, good man."

 

A reprint is immediately issued with the mistake corrected.

[Samoblivion 532]

By chance, while hunting out near Raev territory, Kaelin comes across one of these pamphlets and reads it.

 

"Sounds almost... reasonable. Something not right about that.."

[Hanrahan 2983]

The ghost of Hanrahan leaves filthy heathen ectoplasm all over the posters.

[Haribo 385]

The Abbot smiles.

[WuHanXianShi14 0]

"Ah like this man." Says Quinlan, before walking off to worship the creator in peace.

[Snake Plissken 637]

 

For example: the Adunian gods

 

Atlas of Westfall, the eldest of living Adunians and a devout follower of the Creator since childhood, would point out that there are no 'Adunian gods' and that rather there have been certain periods of history when specific groups of Adunians have adopted the so called 'Old Faith', a religion of paganism which was originally formed by human Northerners from Aegis. He would also note that few Adunians still follow the 'Old Faith', with the majority having either converted to Creatorism or simply lacking any sort of faith altogether.

[Gunner 775]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.